Exercise and cancer

Here is a tip for keeping healthy while on Chemo:

 

This section describes the reasons why it is so important to exercise regularly both before and after a diagnosis of cancer. It explains the underlying mechanisms of how exercise helps and provides specific tips how to increase the level of exercise in the activities of daily living.

Benefits of exercise  Worldwide published evidence clearly demonstrates that regular exercise helps well-being and cancer in four main ways:-

1. Exercise helps prevent cancer 

In terms of prevention, its has been estimated that being sedentary and overweight could account for 14% of male and 20% of female cancer deaths in the UK.  For bowel cancer, for example, most environmental studies have demonstrated a reduction in the order of 40–50% for those at the highest levels of physical activity, with many demonstrating a dose-response relationship. The Harvard Centre for Cancer Control, for example, estimates that at least 15% of colon cancers could have been prevented by 30 minutes daily exercise. These data suggest that increasing physical activity is one of the major factors that is amenable to modification by individuals wishing to reduce their risks of cancer.

2. Exercise helps to fight established cancer

• Slows the rate of some cancer progresses
• Reduces the risk of cancer coming back and improves cure

 

Click here to view the rest of the tips.

Posted via email from lifemelusa's posterous

How can I relieve stress and relax?

Here is a great article which gives great tips for those who are on Chemo to relax and get less stress:

 

Simple techniques can help you cope with stress and help you relax. Try some of these methods to find the ones that work best for you. You may want to check with your doctor before using any of these, especially if you have lung problems.

Muscle tension and release

• Lie down in a quiet room.
• Take a slow, deep breath.
• As you breathe in, tense a muscle or group of muscles. For example, clench your teeth or stiffen your arms or legs.
• Keep your muscles tense for a second or 2 while holding your breath.
• Then breathe out, release the tension, and let your body relax completely.
• Repeat the process with another muscle or muscle group.

Another way to do this is called progressive relaxation. You work your way up your body starting with the toes of one foot. Contract then relax all the muscles of one leg. Do the same with the other leg. Work your way up your body, contracting then relaxing each of the muscle groups in your body, including those in your neck and face. Remember to hold your breath while briefly contracting your muscles and to breathe out when releasing the tension.

 

Click here to look at more techniques for relaxing.

Posted via email from lifemelusa's posterous

Hair Care Tips After and During Chemotherapy

This article gives tips for your hair care after chemotherapy:

 

In this article, we hope to share with you the many aspects that this important subject has to offer you.

Chemotherapy is a groovy innovation in the behavior of scourge. It has saved the lives of millions of people to meeting. Indeed it is one of the most important checkup inventions of the 20th century.

However, it can be a varied blessing. Along with its planned things, it carries some piece things that the scourge survivor must accept. One of its commonest piece things is hair shortfall.

The shortfall of hair may appear to be trifling in comparison with what chemotherapy cures. Indeed discount life and limb is greatly more crucial than how many hairs you have on your president. But still patients recovering from scourge and chemotherapy requisite to be rehabilitated back to their previous lifestyles as far as viable. Appearance is important for this because it is important to one's nature-figure.

To read more of this article click here.

 

Posted via email from lifemelusa's posterous

Healthy Living: Doctors say chemotherapy symptoms can linger

Here is a great story and some advice about living with chemotherapy symptoms:

 

By: Casey J. Bortnick

Elizabeth Osta completed chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer years ago, but she still experiences side effects, like memory loss. Doctors hope several studies taking place will explain what causes symptoms to linger and what could treat them, but in the meantime, there are simple things patients can do.

Whether it’s reading a book or writing one of her own, Elizabeth Osta has a unique outlook on life, but even years after completing her treatment, Osta is still experiencing side effects.

“I'm somebody who remembered phone numbers and names easily," Osta said. "My chemo nurse was just a gem and I got a book for her and we went out to dinner and I kind of presented it to her. And she looked at me and said ‘you know, you gave me this two weeks ago.’"

Chemotherapy is known to cause temporary problems like memory loss and numbness in the hands and fingers. Doctors like Marcia Krebs at the Pluta Cancer Center say these side effects can persist for months or even years. 

"We'll call it chemo brain,” said Dr. Krebs. "Where they have trouble with their memory, finding words, they can't multi-task like they used to." 

There are currently several studies taking place that Krebs hopes will eventually explain what causes these symptoms to linger and what medications and therapy could best treat them. 

 

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Posted via email from lifemelusa's posterous

Easy Tips for Planning A Healthy Diet and Sticking to It

Here is a great guide to eating healthy and adhering to it:

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible– all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you.

Healthy eating begins with learning how to “eat smart”—it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as defend against depression. Additionally, learning the habits of healthy eating can improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilizing your mood. Expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.

Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety and freshness—then it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.

Read the rest of the tips here.

Three Meals Vs. Six Snacks. Which is Better?

You’ve heard it a thousand times: Eating six small meals per day is better than eating three big ones. In the interest of obesity prevention, a wealth of research has aimed to determine whether or not snacking can influence body weight or energy intake better than eating traditional meals can. The widely accepted Booth Hypothesis implies that the growing trend of “grazing,” instead of consuming the traditional three “proper” meals plus beverages and snacks between them, is a major factor in the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. If this hypothesis is true, it must be assumed that extra snacks increase the total number of calories consumed, ultimately causing weight gain (Speechly & Buffenstein 1999).

Research on this issue is “messy.” Some studies have supported one approach; other studies have supported the other. To compare these two eating strategies, a brief review of the nature of hunger and satiety should be considered.

Read the results here.

For more information on how you can boost your immune system visit our website!

www.lifemelusa.com

Walking vs. Running - What's Better?

Perhaps the single biggest health message we hear these days is we should exercise more.

For many people it comes down to a decision between walking and jogging. So which of those two will help you lose the most weight? Which is better for your general health?

The Test:

At the University of Melbourne's department of physiology, Dr Gordon Lynch studies the effect of exercise on our bodies.

"Running and walking are both fantastic exercises and both are going to be great for our health," says Dr Lynch.

But which is better?

Gordon's got a test in mind for Brooke and her student mate Andrew — who admits he's not quite at peak fitness.

"I'm fit for what I do, I suppose, [but] probably not as fit as I should be."

So it's a simple treadmill test. Brooke and Andrew's heart rates will be measured as will their oxygen use and calories burned. Brooke: Just walking, Brooke's heart rate is 79 beats a minute. By the time she's hit a good running pace of about 12km/h, her heart rate has climbed to 159 beats per minute. That's a solid work out.

Andrew: Given Andrew's lower fitness level, he's kept to a solid walk, and his results will be used as a comparison to running. Andrew's walking heart rate is already one hundred and eight — he's struggling.

Andrew: "I'm feeling much more unfit than I did before, after looking at the numbers ... "

Read the Results here.

For more information on how you can boost your immune system visit out website: lifemelusa.com